Category Archives: Uncategorized

Last week I spent seven days in the Florida Panhandle on “vacation.” I used the word “vacation” because that is the easy, go-to, and common nomenclature one uses when describing time off from work. The problem with using that term is that I never really take time off from work. I’m not complaining, I likeContinue reading “The Restaurant Family Takes a Vacation”

It’s always interesting to me how we enjoy some foods only during certain times of the year or on certain occasions. We love the dishes and meals, yet we reserve them for a specific time, place, or holiday. My grandmother didn’t believe in that rule. Sunday lunches at her house were always an event. It’sContinue reading “Vacation Food”

There is something deep inside of me that enjoys hosting people. It borderlines a compulsion or obsession. I’ve been that way since I was a little kid. Whenever I heard a new song on the radio, in my youth— and I had enough money to purchase a 45 single— I would ride my bike toContinue reading “Welcome to America, My Dutch Friend”

Last Friday I wrapped up a photo shoot for my new cookbook, “Mississippi Mornings.” It’s a book I’ve wanted to write for almost a decade, and one I’ve been seriously contemplating for five or six years. Recipe testing finally began this past February and we got about halfway through the roster before I had toContinue reading “Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due”

I am a fan of first lines in books. But I also like the last lines in movies. In the film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s, “Cannery Row,” John Huston— in one of the greatest film narrations this side of Morgan Freeman states, “The world was once again spinning in greased grooves.” I don’t know ifContinue reading “Harry’s Homecoming”

Peach season is here. Peaches are my favorite fruit. Period. End of story. Strawberries, bananas, grapes, and blackberries fall into my top five. But there is a large delta between number one and the rest. Peaches, and especially Chilton County Alabama peaches, rule the fruit world at my house. Chilton County peaches are coming inContinue reading “Peaches”

Everyone needs at least one friend who is frank and to the point. Someone who speaks their mind no matter what the consequence. A person who will call you out when you’ve done wrong. The guy or gal that will tell you exactly what is on his or her mind. I am blessed with severalContinue reading “A Blunt Request”

Over the course of the past 20 years, I have written 11 books. Four were collaborations with my friend and watercolorist, Wyatt Waters. Four were non-fiction works— two were compilations of my writings, one was a nationally published book on the South, and the most recent release was last fall’s comprehensive tome on the MississippiContinue reading “Mississippi Mornings, The Photo Shoot Begins”

Some men dream of playing the back nine at Pebble Beach. Others dream of bagging that big buck or landing a record snapper. I dream of restaurants. Restaurants are my livelihood. Though restaurants are also my hobby. It’s been that way since I entered this business 40 years ago. Seemingly from the first shift onContinue reading “The Great Bakery Expedition of 2022”